Status on the development of Whole Grain Partnership
in Slovenia
Dea Zavadlav, CCIS-CAFE WholEUGrain Summer School, 18th of May 2021
Preparedness and feasibility check
Nutrition Consumer behaviour and market insight
Product development, reformulation,
labelling
Legal
requirements
1. Nutrition
•Nutrition policy•Dietary recommendations
National Programme on Nutrition and Physical Activity for Health 2015 - 2025
• Main aim of the program is to improve nutrition and exercise habits of people and to reduce the obesity and risk of developing chronic non-communicable diseases.
• In this document are identified different priority areas and strategic goals regarding:
• physical activity
• nutrition, which also includes food reformulation (less salt, sugar, saturated fats and trans fats in food products).
• In the document it is also listed that Slovenian people should increase the consumption of whole grains and whole grain products.
1. Enjoy eating food.
2. Eat a variety of foods originating mainly from plants, rather than animals.
3. Maintain body weight within the recommended limits by taking moderate to vigorous levels of physical activity.
4. Eat a variety of vegetables and fruits, preferably fresh and local, several times per day.
5. Eat bread, pasta, rice or potatoes several times per day. Prefer whole grain products.
6. Control fat intake and replace most saturated fats with unsaturated fats. Use lean meat. Limit consumption of meat products. Eat fish once or twice a week.
7. Use milk and dairy products that are low in fat.
8. Limit salt intake and limit processed and preserved foods.
9. Consume enough fluids, preferably drinking water, mineral water, unsweetened fruit or herbal teas or fruit and vegetable juices.
10. If you drink alcohol, drink moderately and not every day.
11. Prepare food in a safe and hygienic way. Don’t add a lot of fats, sugar and salt.
12. Promote exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months.
The Dietary guidelines “12 steps to healthy eating”
Dietary recommendations
• In the National Programme on Nutrition and Physical Activity for Health 2015 - 2025 it is listed that the recommended daily intake of dietary fiber for adults is
30 g per day. Beside that there are also differences in recommended daily intake of dietary fiber between target groups.
• There are just general recommendation for whole grain intake.
2. Consumer behaviour and market insight
•Consumer trends regarding food and nutrition
Availability of whole grain products on markets
Consumer trends regarding food and nutrition
6,6%
13,8%
59,3%
64,6%
78%
Price Beneficial effects Familiar product Local-home grown Taste
Source: Si.Menu
Availability of whole grain products on markets
Bread and bread products, pasta, cereals
Most used whole grains are:
wheat, spelt, corn, buckwheat, barley, oats, rye and millet
3. Product development, reformulation,
labelling
•Definition and logo for whole grain products
Legislation and requirements for labelling whole grain products
•Self-regulatory commitments regarding food reformulation
Definition and logo for whole grains
• There is no definition and a special logo for whole grains in Slovenia.
Legislation and requirements for labelling whole grain products
• Special requirement for labelling whole grain wheat bread, whole grain rye bread and whole grain mixed bread are in Rules on the quality of bakery products
(Official Gazette of Republic of Slovenia, No. 11/15 and 22/19).
• Whole grain wheat has to contain at least 80 % of whole grain wheat flour or whole grain wheat groats, whole grain rye bread is made from whole grain rye
flour or whole grain rye groats and whole grain mixed bread has to contain at least 51 % whole grain flour from different whole grains.
Self-regulatory commitments regarding food reformulation
Zaveza odgovornosti
(en. Responsibility Commitment) is food industry project which was launched with an aim to contribute to the
goals of the national food policy strategy and to improve the nutritional
composition of food products.
Soft drink sector Dairy sector Bakery sector
Self-regulatory commitments of Slovenian bakery sector
• 8 bakery companies co signed the two commitments.
• Companies committed to:
• Reduce the content of added salt in bread for 5 % until 2022.
• Increase the content of whole grain ingredients in bakery products.
Content of added salt and whole grain ingredients in 2020
The average content of added salt in bread on Slovenian market
was 1,22 g per 100 g, which is 1,6 % less than in year
2019.
Percentage of whole grain ingredients on Slovenian market was 3% in bakery and other cereal
products and 1 % in fine bakery products.
4. Legal requirements
Legal obstacles for establishment of whole grain partnership
Mapping of possible stakeholders included into whole grain partnership
Legal obstacles for establishment of whole grain partnership
• There are no legal obstacles for establishing whole grain partnership in Slovenia.
• Public-Private Partnership Act (PPP) which regulates the purpose and principles of private investment in public projects and/or public co-financing of private projects in the public interest.
Mapping of possible stakeholders
+ Others
Conclusions
• Some activities were already implemented.
• Nevertheless, there are still important steps and activities that need to be
implemented in order to be possible to transfer the Danish best practice model for a whole grain partnership to Slovenia.
